Peacemaker, The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox, and Mudtown. With guest Alex Lawther

18 Aug 2025 · 1 h 41 min · 41 chapters

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In short

The hosts discuss what they’ve been watching, then focus on a “twisted tale” segment about Amanda Knox, plus a discussion of DC’s Peacemaker (including an orgy scene) and the TV show Mudtown. The episode also includes a long guest interview with Alex Lawther about his work on Alien: Earth.

Guest backgrounds

Alex Lawther is known for The End of the F***ing World. In Alien: Earth he plays Hermit, an army medic and brother of Wendy (Sidney Chandler’s character). He discusses working with showrunner Noah Hawley and co-stars including Cindy Chandler (Wendy) and Ade (played by Ade Edmondson).

Key claims

Lawther says reviews create “relief,” not pressure, and that Noah Hawley’s approach blends loyalty to Alien (1979) with remixing in writing, shooting, and editing. He frames Hermit as a reluctant soldier whose core is a human, sibling love story.

Notable examples

Lawther describes the “sheep scene” with an eyeball monster as a CGI highlight, seen in multiple stages during production. He also notes the show’s five-corporation world as having a political edge, and praises Cindy Chandler’s technical acting ability and Ade Edmondson’s laid-back humor.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

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Technical Struggles and Humorous Banter

1:24 to 4:52

The hosts discuss their struggles with technology and share humorous anecdotes.

“Let me welcome my opinionated co-hosts, Kay Ribeiro, who still hasn't seen The Ballad of Wallace Island, and Steph, queen of crime, Seelan.”

What We've Been Watching: The Bear

4:52 to 7:12

Steph talks about her experience watching 'The Bear' and the latest episodes.

“And I'm now watching, you know, the bear party, do you know what I mean?”

Discussion on the Lucy Letby Panorama

7:12 to 9:30

The hosts discuss the complexity and confusion surrounding the Lucy Letby case documentary.

“Do you think it's quite a weird set-up as well, the way they made it?”

Kay's Viewing of Riot Women and Limitless

9:30 to 12:20

Kay shares insights on 'Riot Women' and Chris Hemsworth's 'Limitless'.

“Well, you'd be a bit the wiser about the actual...”

Final Thoughts on And Just Like That

12:20 to 14:00

The hosts express mixed feelings about the finale of 'And Just Like That'.

“Anyway, so I, yeah, I watched that and it was quite, it was quite entertaining.”

Metaphorical Elements in TV Shows

14:00 to 14:30

Discussing the use of metaphors in character arcs and storytelling.

“It was trying to, like, it was a metaphor was made physical.”

Nostalgia for 'Sex and the City'

14:30 to 15:36

Exploring the emotional connection viewers have with 'Sex and the City'.

“It is just rammed down your throat and yeah, so I'd say I'm sad to see these characters go.”

Critique of Recent Seasons

15:36 to 17:20

Analyzing the decline in quality of recent seasons of popular shows.

“So now I'm going to dedicate the time to re-watching this last season.”

Endings and Their Impact

17:20 to 19:10

Discussing how show endings affect viewers' perceptions of characters.

“and the comedy came from, you know, think about how many storylines were about the various weird sexual, you know, machinations.”

The Role of Comedy in Storytelling

19:10 to 21:04

Examining the balance between comedy and drama in storytelling.

“and I think, I was listening to someone the other day, I'm not the first to say this, one of the incredible things about it, it goes from like a really, oh no, it was Russell T.”
Show all 41 chapters

Pie as a Cultural Symbol

21:04 to 21:51

Using pie as a metaphor for cultural experiences and nostalgia.

“You know, you don't get a lovely blueberry pie or a cookies and cream, whatever it's called.”

Introduction of Guest Alex Lawther

21:51 to 23:54

Welcoming guest Alex Lawther and discussing his career highlights.

“Yeah, it's a little bit of an intervention.”

Alien Earth and Its Reception

23:54 to 26:10

Discussing the new show 'Alien Earth' and its critical acclaim.

“And I actually do ask, because remember, it's asterisk, right?”

Alex Lawther's Experience on Set

26:10 to 28:00

Exploring Alex's insights into working on 'Alien Earth' and his character's arc.

“I suppose, yeah, sort of a curiosity-driven choice.”

Exploring the Unconventional Structure of 'Alien'

28:00 to 29:10

Discussion on the unique storytelling approach in 'Alien' and its character introductions.

The Art of Rewriting and Editing in Filmmaking

29:10 to 33:38

Insights into the collaborative nature of editing and how it shapes narratives.

Character Dynamics and Ensemble Casting

33:38 to 37:10

Exploration of character relationships and the ensemble cast's dynamics in the show.

“a kernel of something really soft, which was the story between Hermit and his sister, Wendy.”

Acting in a Sci-Fi World: Blending Reality and Fiction

37:10 to 39:54

Discussion on portraying characters in a sci-fi setting and the thematic depth of the narrative.

“So it was fortunate that we all got along in a really genuine way.”

Viewer Reception and Personal Insights

39:54 to 42:08

Reflections on the show's premiere and personal viewing preferences from the cast.

“It must be exciting just to watch that back.”

Exploring 'Bring Her Back' and Horror Elements

42:08 to 46:07

Discussion on the film 'Bring Her Back' and the nuances of horror.

“And friends, like there was a premiere recently.”

Alex Lawther on 'The End of the F***ing World'

46:07 to 46:20

Alex reflects on his experience with the show and its impact on his career.

Listener Question on Childhood Shows

46:20 to 49:56

Discussion about shows that guests would rush home to watch as teenagers.

“So shall I attempt to play this into the microphone now?”

Reflections on Teen Drama Favorites

49:56 to 53:18

Guests share their favorite teen dramas and their significance.

“From the Vault, yeah, in the first episode.”

News Segment: Upcoming Shows

53:18 to 56:00

Discussion about trailers for new shows including 'Task'.

“and Corrie as well My last question before we move on who was the BBC news anchor at the time?”

Excitement for Upcoming Shows

56:00 to 56:48

Discussing anticipation for various upcoming TV series and their trailers.

“his bosses by my mouth Martha Plimpton, the legend, who I also interviewed for this podcast a couple of years ago for Sky Show that she was on.”

New ITV Drama Featuring Michelle Keegan

56:48 to 58:41

Overview of the new ITV drama starring Michelle Keegan and its cast.

“Obviously, there's another Murder in the Building, which this time sees the gang taking on the mob.”

Soho Documentary Narrated by Stephen Fry

58:41 to 1:00:05

Discussion about a new documentary on Soho's future narrated by Stephen Fry.

“Emma Crane, and she's going to be joined by Douglas Booth from The Dirt, who will take on the aforementioned character of D.I.”

Will Sharp’s New Show Prodigies

1:00:05 to 1:01:12

Details about the new Apple TV Plus rom-com Prodigies starring Will Sharp and John Malkovich.

“The small boutique-y type shops are closed down.”

Renewed Interest in Harry and Meghan's Show

1:01:12 to 1:03:28

Updates on the renewal of Harry and Meghan's Netflix contract amid public speculation.

“So the whole idea of Will Sharp and her together as the romantic leads in the show.”

Massive Success of Wednesday Season Two

1:03:28 to 1:06:14

Discussing the impressive viewership numbers for season two of Wednesday.

“I know for a fact that that is not true.”

The Intricate Story of Amanda Knox

1:06:44 to 1:10:01

Exploring the complex narrative of Amanda Knox's case and its media portrayal.

“was wrongfully convicted for the tragic murder of a remote Meredith Kirchhoff.”

Examining the Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox

1:10:01 to 1:22:11

Discussion on the portrayal of Amanda Knox's story in the new series and its implications.

“And this, it's very, it's incredibly difficult to kind of see it from the point of view of Meredith Kirch's family, who have made a statement about it.”

Character Dynamics in New Drama

1:24:01 to 1:25:16

Explore the compelling character dynamics and performances in a new drama.

“Daughter is annoying, but probably quite reflective of teenagers.”

Welsh Productions and Their Impact

1:25:17 to 1:26:31

Discussion on the significance of Welsh productions and their unique characteristics.

“A lot of BBC and S4C productions of Welsh dramas are filmed in English and Welsh.”

Contrasting Mudtown with Amanda Knox

1:26:32 to 1:27:58

A comparison of the storytelling styles and tones between Mudtown and the Amanda Knox show.

“I was like, she's not old enough to be that boy's mum.”

Peacemaker: Overview and Analysis

1:27:59 to 1:31:51

In-depth discussion about the Peacemaker series and its connections to the DC Universe.

“Anyway, Mudtown is a You and Alibi show.”

Humorous Moments and Character Development

1:31:52 to 1:35:55

Analyzing the humor and character development in Peacemaker, including audience reactions.

“And it's also, it reminded me, Kay, I think we reviewed together The Boys.”

Exploring the Orgasmic Themes in Superhero Shows

1:35:56 to 1:37:16

Discussion on the portrayal of orgies in superhero shows like Peacemaker and The Boys.

“But it's got James Gunn's sense of humour, remember we did Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Upcoming Shows and Reviews

1:37:17 to 1:38:01

Preview of upcoming shows and anticipated reviews for next episodes.

“and now on Friday the 22nd of August 2025.”

Current TV Show Highlights

1:38:01 to 1:39:24

Explore the latest TV shows and their upcoming releases.

“I think it's going to be another week of joy.”

Weekly Picks and Discussion

1:39:24 to 1:39:55

Hosts share their picks of the week and discuss intriguing shows.

“Ladies and me, gentlemen, what is our pick of the week?”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:07Hello and welcome to the actual 350th Pilot TV podcast. I'm Boyd Hilton and it's been a busy few days. What with our live 349th episode last Friday with very special guests and in fact co-host Russell T. Davis gracing us with his presence and brilliantly undermining my review of Butterfly on Prime Video. and I still don't know why it's called Butterfly and nor does anyone else in the entire world. James is away for a few decades, leaving us to struggle with accessing the shows we need to watch via various portals and viewing platforms and multi-factor authentication protocols without him. Let's just say it's taken Steph about a week to get to grips with how to watch the shows we're reviewing later.

0:53And I've been busy attending It's Not a Film, the inaugural Guilford feature-length TV drama festival, which turned out to be quite the scenario. Anyway, on today's show, we'll be exploring the twisted tale, not my words, of Amanda Knox, attending an orgy in the middle of DC Universe show Peacemaker and getting down and dirty with Mudtown. And as Arsenal's club motto puts it, Victoria Concordia Crescet, a.k.a. victory through harmony. And to prove those rousing words aren't true at all, Let me welcome my opinionated co-hosts, Kay Ribeiro, who still hasn't seen The Ballad of Wallace Island, and Steph, queen of crime, Seelan.

1:36Welcome to you both. How's it going? It's good. No, it's been terrible. The multi-factor authentication bullshit has, oh my God, it's been too much. I was wondering whether, like, you know, other shows, you know, like on Radio 4, they review stuff, TV stuff sometimes. Do they go through this turmoil as well of, you know, having to work at how to watch a bloody thing. I've had to download like six new apps in order to get in to watch one show. I had to get, Kate, I had to get Boyd to stand next to my computer this morning as I was like, Boyd, I've spent like hours trying to do this all night. Can you just stand there?

2:14I felt like his presence would help. Did it help or did it hinder? Seven minutes later, he was still standing there holding his tea, just standing there in a supportive role. I got to a certain point and he just shouted out in a very Alan Partridge way. You idiot! In the middle of our very busy office. That is uncharitable. I would like to hereby apologise for calling you an idiot. It was an amazing moment for me in the middle of a... It was like a hurdle, the last hurdle in the race, just about to skip over it and then you fell. You fell at the last hurdle by going no to the question of whether you wanted to access the thing via the multi-factor thing.

2:52No, I don't. After all that, I just don't want to. No. Listen. I know it's a slip of the finger. He was so... It's because it's one of those, it's your instinct to say no, right? When anything comes up, it's like, do you accept cookies? No. You know. I think that's the philosophical difference between us. I think my general... Oh, you say it's open for the cookies. Yeah, I welcome. You always say yes. Definitely more less than no. Can I have your pin number? No, but you know. No, you sometimes say no then. Yeah. Yes, it is stressful. as Steph and I established when we did Pilot Plus together with James and Steph watched the first series of Wednesday instead of the second and I wished you were here Boyd because you know I've had that difficulty before no I did listen back to that episode oh did you yeah yeah of course yeah and the hilarity was full as it was revealed your moment I thought you were going to style it out because it was quite confusing because you'd watched some of the new series as well at least that's how you framed it no no I thought I'd watched the new series and I said I've queued it up so I'm going to watch I'm going to go and watch the first series but I hadn't watched any of it it's just that I was like oh Gracie really enjoyed this second the beginning of the second series so I'm going to go back and find out what happened when she was at that other high school turns out that was the first episode as soon as I heard the word piranha I was like oh dear okay we know what's happened here do you know what if you'd been here you know what you'd have done you would have shouted out you idiot really loudly we had a little bit of a Alan Partridge style Dan moment earlier today as well when Steph was engrossed in something and about eight people were trying to get her attention including me and we were all showing Steph and like, dan, dan, dan.

4:23And you were absolutely bluested to that as well. I know. I do have a headband on today so I don't know whether that was like, yeah. Is that what it is? Headband. Restricting your hearing. Restricting your brain. I'm now office clown. Yeah, it was. Sorry. Already being out. Do you know what? The control's gone to his head. It really has. Because he's hosting. Let me just, we need to commend, we need to issue an official commendation to Kay for doing all the technicals of this very podcast. I mean, that's if it comes out. And I have to say, she's really, it together she's really held it down and she's been really calm and i am in awe of her and you get official commendations for getting the muffs i did get the muffs i did say to boyd shall i go and get the muffs and he said yeah and then he said do you know where they are and i said no do you know where they are and then we both sort of toddled on together down to the down to the cupboard anyway gripping as this is we should probably turn our attention to the segment the first segment of what we've been watching and i'm going to turn first of all to the uh editor of crime quarterly uh whose joke is that by the way is it must be james's joke oh i feel bad for using his running jokes no no it's fine crime monthly yes but prestigious crime monthly uh steph what have you been watching well um i only thank you to kay rivero the wonderful woman that she is, came very late to the bear party, okay?

5:46And I'm now watching, you know, the bear party, do you know what I mean? So I have just finished the Sydney episode. Oh, that's a great episode. Oh my god, she's such a good actress. Oh, she's so good. So I'm loving this season so far. Don't tell you anything. Does it end well? I can't say anything. We're not going to ruin it for you. That's boys' job, spoilers. But I'm loving this. And then also So I watched, I know we mentioned that, because you watched this when we did Pilot Plus, I watched the Lucy Let Be panorama, Who to Believe. I mean, oh my God. It was confusing, wasn't it? Do you know what?

6:22The only thing that's certain, and I have read so much about this case, obviously for my actual job, is the only thing that is certain is nobody is certain about anything. And the confusion between all the doctors about all the evidence is just, It's so, I'm just going to say for the layperson, it's very overwhelming. And I think that's the problem with this whole case, is that if you say someone murdered someone by doing this to the layperson, they go, okay, well, that's what happened. But because there's so much difference of opinion in how these poor children, these poor babies actually did die, the cause of their death, it's just confusing to everybody.

7:05But my God, either whatever side of it you sit on, you will be none the wiser by watching this panorama. Do you think it's quite a weird set-up as well, the way they made it? Because you had the main reporter, who's the woman who was kind of... Oh, yeah, she's great, though. She was good. And then she had this guy who was like her sidekick kind of thing. Like Sidekick Simon. Yeah, he is a very... But they were like seeing there on each other's laptop, on their laptops, like, I don't know, 20 feet away from each other, discussing what was going on. I thought it was a slightly odd format to the documentary.

7:41I think it was trying to give us an insight. They've been researching this for what I think is five, it was three or five years, I can't remember. She'd obviously done two previous documentaries about it. And I think it was trying to give us the insight of basically this is what they're doing. They're sitting around, they're talking to these experts, they're trying to get hold of whoever. But yeah, I know what you mean, but I have to say the kitchen was great. From a grand design's point of view, it was delightful. But yeah. It was quite a grandiose room or rooms where they were. No, it was just, have a look at it.

8:10It's all on iPlayer, obviously. It is on iPlayer. Yeah. But I just, if you haven't seen it, even if you're not interested in the Lucid, I mean, I think everyone's quite interested in the Lucid, because it's such an extraordinarily... It's incredibly divisive. ...difficult to understand thing. But just the way they made this, I just found it quite bizarre and unusual. I hadn't really seen anything like it in terms of... Yeah. It's quite interesting. But yeah, one of the key things about it was that, so there's this whole, all these doctors have come together to say they don't think that she's guilty.

8:40Well, it's an expert panel that has been formed, yeah. And then this documentary makers were saying, but actually some of the things you've said to those people who have doubted the evidence is wrong as well. Anyway, it's got very... It's mass misinformation on lots of sites. No, sorry, not misinformation. It's differences of opinion, differences of medical opinion. And these people are all doctors. And as one doctor quite rightly says, He says, if you get a crowd of doctors, there are going to be a difference of opinion. But his main thought was you had to prove whether there was deliberate harm.

9:17And he did not believe there was deliberate harm. And obviously, I think it's quite balanced. Oh, it's very balanced. Yeah, and in the way they presented what evidence had been presented in court. But you definitely will be none the wiser. Well, you'd be a bit the wiser about the actual... If you don't know anything about the case, it fills in all the users. but as to whether or not she's guilty you won't be able to draw a firm conclusion exactly yeah I mentioned this on the Pilot Plus about how it also kind of interesting take on doctors in general I took away from it but the Pilot Plus episode by the way that came out 24 hours earlier than it should have done but that was just a technical error and it's fine it's fine everyone just got it a day only it was like a treat so that's what you've been watching anything else?

10:03no I've mostly been watching all the stuff that you've made me watch and then trying to grapple with two-factor... You've mainly been watching multi-factor authentication. Yes, screens and saying, why is this not working and why does it keep saying error, login error? Yeah, do you want to log in? No? No. Anyway, Kay, what have you been watching? Pray tell. Well, I've been watching Riot Women, which is Sally Wainwright's BBC drama, which I'm not allowed to say anything about. Well, all I would say is I'm very excited to eventually talk about it with you guys. And I interviewed her yesterday and she was a delight.

10:39I'm allowed to say that. She was a delight. Sunny Wainwright, the legend behind Happy Valley, among others. Last Tango in Halifax. Yeah, yeah. Yes, so that's what I've been watching. Can you tell us anything about it? Yeah, it's a drama about a group of menopausal women who start up a rock band. Oh my God. And a punk rock band. I've also been watching Limitless Live Better on Disney +, which is the series with Chris Hemsworth. So in 2022, he did Limitless, which was all about him finding different ways of improving and extending the quality of his life, did different challenges, etc. And this one, similarly, he is also trying to stretch and test himself mentally, physically, etc.

11:26And in the first episode, he decides to supercharge his brain by learning a new skill. Okay, fair enough. And how does he do that? He does it by learning to play the drums in eight weeks so he can support Ed Sheeran on his arena tour in front of 70 ,000 people. Ed Sheeran. Oh, that's so good. So says Elton John. Okay, Boyd's teasing me because I did a preview of this. So, Steph, if you think you're the only one to get berated by Boyd, I got a call and I thought, oh, do you know what? He's going to call and he's going to thank me for my hard work and commend me and actually phone to take the piss because, to be fair, it's quite funny.

12:06Instead of saying Ed Sheeran, I wrote Ed Shireen and Shireen is someone we work with. Oh, she's lovely. So anyway, yeah. Okay, sorry, can I just say, you're not the only, Elton John calls him Ed Sheeran. So you're in good company, don't worry. Yeah, me and Elton. Yeah. Thick as thieves. Anyway, so I, yeah, I watched that and it was quite, it was quite entertaining. I mean, because Thor is absolutely shitting it. which you would be right to have eight weeks to learn the drums very complicated and then to stand in front of an audience who love Ed Sheeran and want to hear his song and then you know you've got old Chris on the drums but I won't say how he does but I commend him for even giving it a go because that is no right thing official commendation from Kate I don't want to give any spoilers and then finally and I think Boyd is also going to talk about this I watched the final episode of And Just Like That okay okay I haven't watched it okay I've only watched the second to last penultimate no I'm not going to I'm not going to ruin it because oh I'm absolutely not I'm going to give my thoughts very carefully without spoiling it for anyone who's waiting to catch up on it what I would say is all the loose ends are tied up quite neatly so I wasn't disappointed with the overall outcome in that regard yep however for me and you know I've been I've been more negative than you have Boyd about this series I would say the unsophisticated storytelling upsets me greatly because it doesn't have any of the witty dialogue or the smart observations of Sex and City.

13:38And now, Sex and City was flawed, right? But I just felt like it was finesse. It had a certain quality to it which this lacks. And this final episode, there's a scene in Miranda's, she has a Thanksgiving dinner, which we know about. Anyone who's watched it, they've been talking about it for the last few episodes. And everything that involved in that whole sequence of events, I found just so annoying, upsetting. Like, there's a bathroom scene. It was just quite puerile. It was trying to, like, it was a metaphor was made physical. That's what they were trying to do. And there's a lot of that, this episode particularly, where they are delivering lessons about life.

14:18Basically, the conclusion is, if you get married, great. If you don't get married, great. You know, everything's great. Be comfortable in your own skin. When you're going through adversity, great. You know, you're going to be fine. That's it. but it's delivered in such a way that there's no subtlety about it. It is just rammed down your throat and yeah, so I'd say I'm sad to see these characters go. I am because I do love these characters. However, I think it's the right point for this to end. Yeah. You know what is so interesting about what you're saying? I'm a huge Sex and the City fan. I've loved Sex and the City and until this series of Unjusted Like That I was with it, okay?

14:54And then this season of Unjusted Like That Was it when she wore that hat in the middle of Washington Square Park? I know, which, yes. It made it look like strawberry shortcake. Oh, I love strawberry shortcake. Anyway, right. By the by. I feel like it really kind of, it lost it. It lost its place in my appointment viewing this season. Okay, and then when they announced that it was going to be lost, I was like, oh, then I felt overwhelmingly sad about it. And I thought, oh, God, this... It's complicated. It is a complicated relationship you have with this show. And you kind of, you know, it's been in really important years of your life.

15:35But now I feel really sad. So now I'm going to dedicate the time to re-watching this last season. Because I was just kind of... Or just watching it for the first time. The last season. The last season, I'm like on episode... I haven't kept up with it. So I'm on like episode four. Right, so you're going to watch the rest. Yeah, so that's what I'm going to do. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Properly now. and not, so I don't want you to totally spoil it. Are you going to spoil it? I'm not, all right, I was going, I was going, I was going, I was going to, Oh no, go on then. No, no, no, I was going, I'm not saying I will, I was going to, assuming you didn't mind because you haven't seen it yet, talk about certain things and warn them to, to not, you know, to fast forward if they didn't want any spoilers, but I can avoid spoilers, it's fine.

16:16No, don't do it on my account, I want to know now. No, no, now I'm too interested. So as you say, the finale will have gone out on Friday as this podcast comes out on Monday. So fans of the show will have had a chance to see it. Can't assume. You know what it means. I'm not spoiling it without warning. I'm definitely not doing that. But what I can do is spoil it. Or because you haven't seen it yet, I'll just want to spoil it. No, no, no. I'll try to express what I thought of it without a case shaking. It's like I'm a monster. I haven't even started yet. Anyway, the point is, I don't think that Sex and the City, in fact, I know because every now and then, well, episodes pop up on Sky Atlantic constantly anyway.

16:58In fact, they've been running them kind of in the build-up to showing and just like that every Friday. It was never a subtle show. You know, it was always pretty basic, the storytelling. I would counter. But storytelling doesn't have to be subtle, by the way, in my opinion. And this was a show that part of its strength back in the day, at its height was that it was quite broad and the comedy came from, you know, think about how many storylines were about the various weird sexual, you know, machinations. Yeah, it was brash. It was brash. It was bold. There's an episode, I often refer to the episode where there was the paintings of women's vaginas, you know, and the C-U-N-T word was used repeatedly in that episode, which was quite groundbreaking at the time, especially for an American show.

17:42Yeah. But on HBO, so, you know. Oh yeah, completely on HBO. there's a line about that word in the finale that I thought was really funny a really funny joke about the word we can bleep it out or not so my position is that the film, the second film the film was kind of like with the start of the I'd say hate watch era of these characters right the first film was okay the second film was completely banned to buy one in such a way that it kind of almost made you resent the characters that we'd grown to know and love, you know, after all that time. And certainly, you know, what they did with them in that show was just awful.

18:24And I would say that when Unjust Like That came, arrived, it hadn't really learned that many lessons, seemingly, to start with, at least, from that Disastered Second film. But I think it's got better. I think this season, this third season, for me, has been the best of Unjust Like That. And I know people have been hate-watching it as well, to the point where Michael Patrick King, who I interviewed for this very podcast, was like, yeah, I'm aware, that people say the hate-watching thing, you know, and you get dealt with it in a little storyline in the first episode. So it's not like they know. And that's why I think partly he's decided to end it now.

18:54So that isn't to carry on enduring hate-watching from the great populace, people interested. What I would say is, I enjoyed the finale. I thought it was. I thought it was. The scene you're talking about in the bathroom was unbearable. I mean, I agree. They're always, in this show, and I think, I was listening to someone the other day, I'm not the first to say this, one of the incredible things about it, it goes from like a really, oh no, it was Russell T. Davis. I was talking about Russell and he was saying, you know, there'll be a moment where you think, oh, this is brilliant. This is a brilliant observation, really well written.

19:25Yeah, it's a very tender moment. Yes. You know, convincing in its own way and, you know, moving or funny. And then you'll get something so awful like the scene in the bathroom in the finale. You're like, oh my God, just get over that. You know, but I would, in the end, I came away from this finale and this series thinking, This is a good way to end it, actually. And I think that what happens particularly to her, Carrie, is good. I agree. I agree with that. And the way they do it, and the way it's shot, and what she says and what she does, is really good. And I think, to the point where it's way better, I think, than the way they ended Sex and the City itself.

20:01Because remember, when they ended Sex and the City, we didn't know they were ever going to see those characters again. We didn't even know for sure there'd be a film, I'm pretty sure, at that point. Yeah, no, you did. So you just ended it in that, you know, the Paris scenes, I'm referring to. I mean, I do love that Paris-Denon. I do love what she says at the end. I didn't like that. You didn't like that if you find someone the way you love yourself. Whatever. That's beautiful. But I thought this was much more... This was believable. I thought this worked in terms of this is exactly what she would do and say.

20:28This is how she would be. And yeah, I thought it was really good. And there's a lovely montage. Again, I'm not spoiling it. A pie-based, as in, you know, pie. Dessert pie. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A pie-based montage, which I thought was really nice. Yeah, that was a nice touch. Very well put together. And in the end, it was like, one of the messages, and this is not spoilers, have a piece of pie. It's fine. Because American pies, by the way, and you could only, I was thinking, I was sitting there thinking, it's all very well for this message about, you know, have a lovely piece of pie and a coffee or whatever, but you don't get these pies in this country.

21:04You know, you don't get a lovely blueberry pie or a cookies and cream, whatever it's called. Yeah, but do they have... You can't get them anyway. What do you do? It's not the same to have like a... I mean, we've had a lovely cake at the 349th Pilot Podcast, but it's not the same as a pie. You know what? I feel like, yeah, we're crumble people. You know, you can have a crumble. Yeah, you can have a crumble pie. You could have, you know, one of the... Apple crumble pie is a thing, isn't it? Yeah, that's true. You know, they had these things like pumpkin pie they had. It was Thanksgiving, by the way.

21:33Yeah, of course. Not a spoiler. Okay. So I did sit there thinking, this is a drawback of not living in New York, is that you don't have access to these pies. So your major takeaway from this is that there's not enough pie here for you. Yeah, yeah, 100%. Okay. Boydo, what else have you been watching? Thanks. This is, oh. I'm taking the James role here. A little intervention there, Kate. Yeah, it's a little bit of an intervention. I've been talking about American pie for as long as I want. Oh, he's got giddy, Kate. He's got giddy. No, no, no, it's fine. I'll move on. I'll move on. Anyway, just like that.

22:05It's because I'm sitting in James' seat and now I'm taking on, I've just channeled him. some moments of grandeur. That's fine. Stop talking about pie. I get the message. What else have you been watching? Well, tonight I am hosting, I'm back on the hosting circuit. I'm hosting the, not tonight, in fact, tomorrow night. It doesn't matter. It will have happened by the time this process comes out. Oh, God. King and Conqueror. Ooh, James Norton. Yes, James Norton. Oh, lucky thing. My close personal friend, James Norton, and my other close personal friend, Nikolai Kostavaldau of Game of Thrones fame.

22:35Oh, I love him. so James plays Harold Godwinson Nicolai plays William Duke of Normandy and it's all about 1066 the Battle of Hastings the build up to it and what happened and the whole historical situation at the time so I've watched a lot of that in preparation and obviously I like Kay watching what's the show you watch Bright Women Bright Women I won't I won't say we'll be reviewing it soon probably next week in fact I think but that was very interesting and and yeah it's fascinating viewing I'm trying to avoid spoiling it. Don't let us know how that historical event ended. Very good. Oh, my God, you're so James.

23:17I'm so James. What have you? Next, I'll shave off all my hair. By osmosis, sitting in the James Sea has turned you into a smug twat. Possibly. I mean, who could definitely say? But, yeah, so I've been watching quite a lot of King and Conqueror. So those are various shows that are coming up that we will eventually, hopefully, review. Moving on then, I think it's time to announce our guest. Yes. I think that's the way this format goes. But, you know, who knows? If I'm changing it, then you just have to deal with it, everyone. This week we have the wonderful Alex Lawther. He was the star of the end of the fucking world.

23:54And I mean, I use that word. Because it's in the title. It's in the title. And I actually do ask, because remember, it's asterisk, right? Mostly, obviously, in all the listings and in Channel 4, there's press releases for it. It was on Netflix as well. But I did actually ask Alex how he said it. He said, oh, fucking. He's like, yeah, of course. It's the end of the fucking world. So that made him a big star. And he, of course, plays the key role of Hermit, the army medic and brother of Sidney Chandler's Wendy in Alien Earth, in the highly acclaimed, not least by us, the highly, highly acclaimed Alien Earth.

24:23And I chatted to him recently on Zoom. And here it is.

24:32hi alex how's your morning it's good thanks alex yeah um welcome to the pilot tv podcast how's yours are you at home at the moment yeah well actually i'm staying with the friends at the moment um because i'm sort of in between places but uh yeah i'm i'm at home in london as well yeah yeah doing doing a grueling round of press for um alien nuts yeah i mean it's actually it's been they're so well organized that um you just sort of get on one end of the conveyor belt and end up at the other so i'm actually at the end of the conveyor belt now so you're in the last yeah right well that's good that's good um and in fact the timing is a few days ago i don't know if you read reviews but a few days ago reviews of alien earth came out and they were absolutely ecstatic like five stars in empire five stars in heat all over the place does that does that does that kind of thing affect you do you take notice of the reviews does it make the whole things seem more worthwhile um i think there's a feeling of relief with anything um just because we live inside that world don't we of reviews and that for better or worse for some part of it meaning whether the thing has had a success or not has been a success or not um but i suppose with something like this, I don't try and seek out because there's so much of it because we've done so many interviews and stuff.

25:57But like, you know, other cast members and stuff share stuff on the WhatsApp group. And so I've had a general feeling that things have been received warmly. So that's nice. That's a nice thing. Yeah. When you sign off for a project like this and you read the script and, you know, you speak to Noah Hawley, the showrunner etc did when when that all started early on did you have a sense that this is this could be a special show you know a show that ends up getting faster reviews and gets an incredible reception or do you just think this is an interesting job i'll take it yeah i think it's the latter you just think oh this is interesting uh noah's imagination is interesting i like the scenes that i'm being asked to um play in i liked the idea of whatever that meeting point is between Noah's imagination and the existing Alien franchise.

26:51I suppose, yeah, sort of a curiosity-driven choice. And how did he explain the kind of vision of the show to you? Or was that all there in the script? I think he did. We had, like, I auditioned and then with the casting director and Noah, we had a cup of tea in somewhere quite random in London. and Noah spoke generally about the show. I think I hadn't, not all the episodes had been written by that point. So maybe he just spoke to me about the character's arc for the season. And that was intriguing. And then I think he spoke about how the texture of the show would be really loyal to particularly the first film, the 79 film.

27:44and yeah I was I was um I was intrigued by that yeah and did we were you a fan of the original film or do you you know you watched it you use it is it yeah I mean yeah I'm yet to come to someone actually who's been oh no I have not seen that film but just like yeah no no and also I did go back and watch it again because you know it it definitely stands up to a to multiple viewings yeah and it lives on the strangeness of it I find really appealing the first half an hour and there's no alien in a film that's titled Alien and the host of performers that it's really sort of it spends a lot of time with overlapping dialogue and they're talking about breakfast cereal and um and you don't really know who the lead who the protagonist is either which i love uh yeah and um and also i i was familiar with noah's fargo and i then went and watched legion um and saw was just sort of reminded that like how capable like his his special talent is taking original source material and and and making it um that plus something else yeah something something even yeah that is the perfect description yeah he really he really makes it fresh and something feel completely new and yet like the opening where his he's tribute to that opening of alien with where they're all coming out the pulse and the very white but that is that was such a clever way of kind of paying tribute i thought and yet make him feel new yes and i don't know if that was originally like that in the script noah's also very clever at rewrite at making as he as he goes and that both is in terms of like the rewriting as we're shooting but then also in the edit he's really open to just mangle you know reorganizing um if needs be into a sort of a new creature again i think maybe sometimes i suppose maybe less experienced directors there's a sort of loyalty to the original story that's been written or what has been shot but um i'd even been told actually before uh you know i think before we'd finished shooting you know noah's someone who likes to sort of remix as as he gets into the edit and uh that's true for for the for the finished show actually when you watch the show back it's actually a real example we you know i don't know when the fellow we when you're in the middle of it but when you watch it back it's so there's so much going on there's the editing the camera work the production design etc are you aware of you just what actually going to end up looking like on screen when you're when you're in the middle of it um yeah i mean as far as sometimes i would watch through the i would watch them on the monitor or watch playback and you know once it is within that frame it does look sort of really exquisite even through sort of a camera monitor and because of you know the production design is so detailed and those sets are so huge and particularly in the scenes I was shooting on that spacecraft for example that crashed there's sparks and water and lots of sort of freewheeling elements and I think yeah like in a bodily sense you immediately understand because of just the size of the worlds that you're stepping onto in those sets in those studios um that a huge amount of attention has been paid to the detail of the thing um and there's there's just a bigness of that world that um you know myself as like a british actor it's it's it's it's rare to come across something of that scale i think right yeah i bet i'm normally shooting you know uh on a street in watford's not young um a several stage studio in thailand as for your character it's obviously being a counterintuitive bit of casting to have you as a soldier wielding guns and fighting things all of that but a brilliant a master show because because there's something really interesting about that how was it for you to be become a you know kind of action man almost yeah yeah yeah i i they never gave me a proper gun which i presented although i think i do i do take one off someone who meets quite a gory end at one point um i thought it was quite i i thought it was quite interesting i thought it interesting casting in terms of like i was within this quite brutal world being asked to play uh part of the essential love story of the season which is between a brother and a sister um also that that that particular love story was a was a sibling one um but yeah I liked being sort of one of the guardians of the humanness within the show um and sure he's a soldier but I had the feeling he was quite a reluctant one because he's there by obligation he wants to be a doctor but for various reasons he wasn't able to afford that um that education and ended up becoming a medic in sort of a military outfit um and i think a lot of his life is led by particularly first finder by obligation rather than by choice so uh yeah i i i find it i found it curious that within in a very brutal alien world that Noah had put in the centre of that, a kernel of something really soft, which was the story between Hermit and his sister, Wendy.

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33:44Yeah, absolutely. I get that. And it's very much an ensemble piece, but I guess if there is a protagonist in the way, it is Wendy, isn't it? Cindy Chandler is Wendy. How was it working with her? She's quite extraordinary, as you can see in the season. Because Sid, I've said this a couple of times in interviews, but she's like an early career artist and she's done a few things before and I'd seen her in Don't Worry Darling and I remember before knowing about this project at all I remember thinking oh that actor's really interesting and really honest and it's a small part in Don't Worry Darling but I think she left an impression on me in a way and working on with her on set it was interesting because she you know she was she would talk about you know learning on the job and learning as she was going but then actually I was watching her work and it was though she'd been doing it all her life you know there was there's something she has a technical ability that uh belies the fact that she's only really been working you know sort of for five or six years or so she's um she's she's incredibly technically proficient as an actor and yet also like a child very much in the present moment and um uh yeah it was a gift to be able to sort of yeah watch this person um do their work because most of my stuff was with her so my job was just watching sid and that was yeah you do get some there's i love the further eight Edmondson's in the show um full stop it's brilliant every time he pops up oh my god this is so brilliant I'm a huge fan of young ones and boss etc but there's a great scene I think it's in episode four between the two of you you were you and Ade when you're trying you're trying to kind of sound each other out he's trying to lay down the law how was it how yeah yeah how does it work with him?

35:41Ade's lovely um he's everything I think that you would hope he'd be he's he's funny and ironic and laid back and um yeah there was a a lot of really the whole cast really were i don't know there was something like um we a lot of us would sort of jobbing sort of jobbing actors um thrown together in Thailand so there was a sort of I don't know a a sort of there was a laid-backness to the way that we worked with one another no one sort of sitting in a chair in the corner trying to get into character we were all sort of playing around with each other on the floor um it's quite a big British contingent in the cast as well I think there's only two or three in the main cast which aren't from the UK so in some ways we all sort of knew each other particularly the the Lost Boys from here there and everywhere um uh and yeah I think that it's that that was lucky because we were all also quite far away from home most of us hadn't been to Thailand before although it was a country that hosted us with enormous generosity, we were still away from our creature comforts.

37:14So it was fortunate that we all got along in a really genuine way. What is it like being attacked by a xenomorph? stuff um it's uh it's quite straightforward actually i guess he's just sort of he's just responding to what you see um and i think there's a part of the body that just kicks in so there's a sort of no acting thing required nature to those scenes yeah is there a man in a suit is he kind of is there a procedure can you without ruining the outfit no it's not anything we've said it's it's a guy called Cameron Brown. He's from New Zealand. He doesn't eat meat. He's a vegan. So yeah, there was a like, there's a, underneath the horror, there was the comedy of the fact that this, you know, it was a softly spoken Kiwi beneath them, the, the rubber xenomorph mask.

38:13He actually was probably the most concentrated and committed of all the actors. He was sitting in a corner game. character um yeah so maybe we should have maybe taken a a leaf out of his book because um i actually found that quite moving that you know the the that the the creature was um you know the the most committed to stuff yeah yeah and the other thing was so interesting about the whole thing i mean there's so many answers but i want to mention this whole idea of the world of being run by five corporations which feels like that so there feels like there's a quite a radical you know um kind of political edge to this whole story was that what did you make of that elena yeah i i i think necessarily that's what sci-fi does doesn't it or at least good sci-fi sort of intellectually curious sci-fi is trying to speak to the world as it is today by using the metaphor of like technology and spaceships and extraterrestrials as a sort of way of having a larger conversation in terms of what's happening on the planet in 2025 um and so yeah i think i think that's i don't want to speak for no but it feels like

39:41that's the tool that science fiction gives a writer right like it gives you a big metaphor in order to discuss uh the state of things as they are right now but also therefore being entertaining because sci-fi lends itself to sort of um action and horror and and world building but yeah essentially I suppose that is that is the job of the genre yeah completely yeah I would just one scene that's absolutely uplifting my mind is I'm calling the sheep scene where the the eyeball monster attacks the sheep I mean that is just I mean it's CGI goes I just thought that this is, we're at peak levels, aren't we?

40:30That's such an incredible thing. We can't go anywhere from now. Yeah. It must be exciting just to watch that back. Those kind of scenes that you're not necessarily in, but seeing that, you know, seeing what a level this show is operating. Well, it's, but also because as an actor, you get to see, sometimes you get to see things, several versions of things. So I was seeing like before ADR, which additional dialogue replacement where you go in and re-record stuff. I was seeing versions of that sheet moment in various stages of completedness. And part of me was thinking at certain points, I don't think that they finished the CGI there.

41:09I think there's work to do. But I don't want to mention it in case that's it. And of course, it's really exquisite, the final piece of generated images. but it's interesting seeing the sort of the workings out of that department as well. Yeah, and thank God it's not a department I've involved in. Yeah, it's beyond means, yeah. I mean, the whole show feels like a kind of incredibly ambitious cinematic, you know, eight-hour film. Are you a fan of, you know, kind of deep dive TV, whatever you want to call it? Do you consume this kind of show if you weren't in it? Would you be watching it? And what other kind of stuff do you like watching?

41:55I think I probably would. Yeah, I think. I mean, I'm not going through whatever streaming platforms necessarily looking for sci-fi. But I think if I stumbled upon it, I find that first episode particularly so unusual and compelling. And friends, like there was a premiere recently. my partner came my mum and dad came and they were always saying they got to see the first episode they're saying I really want to see regardless of the fact you're in it Alex I'd really like to see what happens next um which is a good sign and uh yeah what else have I been actually in the last month I've not really been watching any telly because we've been just doing a lot of um talking about the show um i did see um i went to cinema at my local cinema in peckham and saw um uh bring her back that horror which is really also again horror is not really my i i i'm not yeah i'm i'm not a loyal horror fan but i do love sally hawkins so i went to see it and she's so great she's incredible have you seen that film it's absolutely her it's her it's her that moment with a I can't that moment with a knife in that child's mouth out of my head um sometimes when I'm talking to people I just sort of have to put my finger in my mouth to sort of stem either anyway uh and but yeah that it it was interesting it was it was I hope she had a good time making that because yeah yeah it's intense it's intense it's it's a horrible watch but um but it's interesting how how entertaining that is i don't know what it is about them that that's so i suppose it's the crin it's the fine line between um sort of horror and and and hysteria or hilarity yeah have you heard about weapons other horror films which comes out this week yeah i'm working with julia at the moment yeah i think she's brilliant so i'm really looking forward to watching yeah yeah but she's she is amazing i mean yeah she's brilliant yeah she's so cool such a cool customer yeah um running out of time to the end of the effing world how do you what do you refer to as the end of the fucking world what's yeah yeah well how life changing was that for you it's have such a seems to have such an impact I think it just like the way I understand it is that it was the first first thing that I did that then going into auditions and stuff people like oh I've seen you in that thing so it's sort of just contextualized the work I was doing as an actor which is really nice because normally as an actor you know people are asking what you've done before or assuming you haven't done anything before and assuming this is your first job or something so particularly at that time in my life in my mid-20s it was nice to feel that yeah that that there was a I don't know that there was a conversation in which people knew uh something that I'd done before basically that was the sort of the most marked way of the biggest impression that that show did for me um and also it was the first time i got to do the second season of anything and i had the pleasure of like knowing a character and also being able to relax because it had worked in whatever strange way the end of the fucking world worked and so we could be a bit looser with it the second time around um and sort of yeah be a little less anxious as to how it was going to sit with an audience which i think is more fun for both the audience and the people making the show brilliant thanks ali so much congratulations on fantastic shows all in alien earth and uh and see you soon thank you that was alex laurtha of um Alien Earth fame and moving on I think now it's time I think I mean it's time certainly in this podcast that I'm hosting because I've decided to do it now Just do it your way The listener question K Okay so this question it actually came in time for our show but then because obviously we took questions from the audience so we didn't get a chance to answer this Right so our question comes from Andy who says so this ties in with our 350th episode he says I remember awkwardly making my excuse to leave a meeting with my English teacher in order to run home and find out what happened in Dawson's Creek so my question on the 350th is you're all 16, the time is 3.50pm what show are you running home to watch?

47:05such a great question it's a great question yeah, a really good question it's such a great question that when you had mentioned that this was going to be the question I sent it to James Dyer because I felt like lovely Andy would probably want to hear from regular host James Dyer. And he has replied. He has sent a voice note. He sent it immediately. I sent him that text at 9.24. And by 9.26, I had. He never replied that quickly. Yeah, it was unbelievable. Unbelievable. So shall I attempt to play this into the microphone now? Okay. So if it was 3.50 and I was 16 years old, then I would have been looking forward to another two hours of school because my school day did not finish until 6.15 because I went to that kind of school.

47:56So unfortunately, I was not rushing home to watch anything. The one thing I will say during that decade was Sky One were doing daily repeats of Star Trek The Next Generation. So I would almost always go home and have dinner while watching Star Trek The Next Generation on Sky One. So that was pretty much my teenage years, which explains a lot, I like to think. um but you know like the little video plus codes you used to get where you used to program your little vhs and you'd get it to record all the little things so i was obsessed with that so i had like this incredibly elaborate schedule with all my little codes in and my video recorder my little vhs thing had like seven days a week planning recording so i would schedule in all the things i wanted it to record at home uh from sky so various things films tv shows whatever and then i would kind of make my way through it on these great big long play do you remember long play long play vhs tapes so even when i went away to uni i had my video at home programmed to record all these things and elaborately set up so it would change the sky channel uh for things like quantum leap and d space nine and all that sci-fi shit that i still very much enjoy uh so yes uh big up for long play program of all vhs players uh they were very much the goat and there you have it we hear long play vhs players very much the goat and i think the answer was star trek yes no wasn't it Star Trek The Next Generation not OG Star Trek I don't think yeah I'm glad that even when he's not here we listen to him yeah yeah because he doesn't like OG Star Trek he's an idiot but I just thought Andy might want to hear from James what's your answer I can tell you that I was very much watching Dawson's Creek yeah me too very very much watching Dawson's Creek but also I just want to say Party of Five do you remember Party of Five Matthew Fox great show I remember that and Bailey Oh, God, so good.

49:42Scott Wolfe, yeah, and Jennifer Lovekewitt. It's brilliant. But it made me start thinking about My So-Called Life, which I decided I'm going to re-watch. Claire Danes, My So-Called Life. Yeah. Above its... I think we re-watched, didn't we? Yeah, From the Vault. From the Vault, yeah, in the first episode. Oh, did you? It was a bit dated. I was going to say, how is it now? Because it had a lot of good themes in it that I feel are relevant now. Yeah. I mean, it's inevitable that it would be dated. so it was quite dated but nevertheless still really good Jordan Catalano Jared Leto my my god so yeah that's what I would have been watching yeah I was I watched those two as well and also in addition to that Heartbreak High oh god yes so it turns out I've always had a thing for Australian dramas this one was a gritty team drama set in high school and I was just obsessed with the relationship of Anita played by Lara Cox and Jurassic played by Callan Mulvey who had a But Boyd, you'd like him.

50:40He was a skateboarder. Plus he had an eyebrow ring. So yeah. Oh my gosh. I love that romance. Yeah, he was well rad. That's what I was watching. What about you, Boyd-o? Well, mine would have been 1983. When I was 60. And I didn't, I mean, at that point, I wasn't really rushing home to watch kind of teen stuff. But what I would have been watching, probably, I think, probably like the news, boring enough. Once I got home, I would have been watching the news. The news? You know, six o 'clock news. You would have been, at 60? it was your priority to get home and keep up with current affairs yeah because what people forget is right I mean now that now that I've mentioned it with the news is you didn't have the internet back then you didn't oh this is true you didn't have now by osmosis you didn't have social media you didn't have anything telling you you didn't know anything you had to watch the fucking news to know what was happening in the world yeah and so it was my priority I'm not saying I wasn't a dweeb who was like you know probably should be watching this explains why you're so intelligent but You are very intelligent.

51:39I'm not saying that. But probably the first show of the evening that I would have watched after the news, like religiously, at that time, I have to admit it was Coronation Street. Wow. What? Yeah, because I was looking at the storylines. Then it was Dallas and Dynasty after that. At one point, you basically got like Corrie around 7.30, 8.00, and probably Dynasty at 8.00 and then Dallas at 9.00 was a thing. Yeah. In my memory, anyway. People were probably right and saying, no, that never happened. But I think it did. and so Dallas and Dynasty were huge I remember watching those very clearly with my mum we were both obsessed with those and that was the era Dallas was absolutely at its height 21 million people watched Dallas every single week on BBC One but before that Coronation Street also had some of its biggest ratings ever for the storyline involving Ken and Deirdre Barlow and Deirdre having an affair with Mike Baldwin a huge cultural event that was.

52:36That made the news. I remember distinctly on the BBC. You were doubling down. You were double dicing on Corey by the news and the actual soap. So BBC literally reported on this storyline because it was so all-encompassing in the culture, in pop culture at that time. Yeah. It made me think how weird it must have been to not really know. You had to buy... The other thing is you had to buy the radio and TV Times to know what was going on. I did. No bad thing. Radio Times went on strike for a huge period. Yeah, at one point it didn't put your shoes out because there was some... it was something involved and it pretty much was owned by the BBC so it was kind of a BBC based strike that affected the Radio Times all these things kept flooding back to me God this is a real history lesson it was quite a year 83 as well there was loads of good TV but I won't go into that but yeah it would have been effectively the news and Corrie as well My last question before we move on who was the BBC news anchor at the time?

53:23Oh no you're talking I don't Wouldn't it have been Michael Burke right? No It could have been it could have been yeah I mean it was only a few years before 85 was Live Aid you know which was inspired by his report from Ethiopia so it could well have been Michael Burke actually yeah The great MB. Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, that's me anyway from 1920s. We also, when James gets back, need to find out what kind of school he went to, which finished at 6.15. Well, didn't he? I mean, that is insane. I know, that is like a long day. Yeah, wow. I mean, I think I finished at 5, didn't you? I don't know. What?

53:53I think so. Why did you finish at 5? I don't know. I may be right again. Anyone listening, Andrew Wilson, my friend from school is listening, maybe you correct me. Yeah, can he please? But in my mind, it was about 5. Well, I think maybe, yeah, anyway, who knows? Give me the nod to move on again. This is fantastic. Don't do this with James. Yeah, move on, James. Just let him do whatever the hell he wants to drone on about. Anyway, let's move on indeed to the news. TV, television-based news. I'm going to start with one thing, because I watched this today, this trailer, for I think is the most exciting new show of the autumn.

54:33Do you know what it's going to be? No. Can you guess? No, when you said trailer, I thought you were going to talk about Only Murders in the Building, which was a little bit. Well, I haven't watched that trailer because I've actually watched episodes, whole episodes of the new series of Only... I didn't mention that in what you've been watching because I thought it would be another example of an irritating thing for listeners to know that I'm just watching stuff. Yeah, that is... Way in advance and I can't review it, but I haven't watched a couple. You'll be doing a James. I've watched a couple episodes of that.

54:56But the trailer I've watched today is for Task. Task, yes. Mark Ruffalo. Mark Ruffalo. task is the Mark Ruffalo crime drama coming up, which is created by Brad Inglesby, who created, does anyone know? Mare of Easttown. Yes. I'm only saying this because I've got this news story written down. Fair enough. Do you watch the trailer though? No. Oh, well, I mean, thankfully I have watched it. And I would say the trailer is brilliant. It really gets you embroiled in the thing and really gets you wanting to watch it. And the whole trailer plays out to the song Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd, which is and I've and I've said this your favourite song one of my favourite songs of all time the way I say it about films yeah it is one of my favourites this is really for you so give us a little what's it about though it's about he is he's a kind of cop investigating crimes involving seemingly decent people like a biker there's a biker gang of some kind involved in it he's a grizzled cop who's done who's clearly he hasn't been with his family enough he's been neglecting his family his bosses by my mouth Martha Plimpton, the legend, who I also interviewed for this podcast a couple of years ago for Sky Show that she was on.

56:07But remember Martha Plimpton from Parenthood? Of course, of course. Legend. So just that dynamic I'm excited about because I saw him interacting with her, telling him what to do. It just looks like, as Mayor of Easttown captured that atmosphere of working class American small town life, this feels very much in the same universe. Albeit with Mark Ruffalo as the lead rather than Kate Winslet. And we don't have long to wait, do we? No, September 7th. September 8th, sorry. September 8th, coming to Sky and now. But I'm very excited about that after having seen the trailer. Me too. Talking of trailers, as I mentioned, I watched the Only Murders in the Building Series 5 trailer.

56:45And I have to say, so you know I've been lukewarm on it. I'm excited for this one. So there's another... Obviously, there's another Murder in the Building, which this time sees the gang taking on the mob. Have you watched all the previous seasons? so do you know who the do you know who it was who got murdered at the end of this because the person gets murdered wait no I'm just asking I just want to know do you know yes I think so well you know you've confused me but anyway so this I'm excited for this series okay but yeah so the the Dorman is the is the death they're investigating yes in the fountain yes yes so that's the Dorman character was great anyway I know I'm sad about the Dorman character dying but you know we'll see a lot in flashback I'm guessing yeah yeah in the very least yeah Yeah, no, look, having seen the first couple of episodes.

57:29And it's got some great guest stars. Yes. So, René Zellweger's in it, Logan Lerman, Taylor Leone, Keegan-Michael Key, Beanie Felsteed, loads of great names. So I'm excited for this. Yeah. I like the show, yeah. We nearly killed it off by doing a weekly spoiler special discussion of it, didn't we? We nearly killed the show off and nearly killed James off. Yeah. Although he just, like, he opted out. Yeah. Oh, did he? Yeah, yeah. It was an opt-out. Does he not like it? No, he doesn't. Too silly for him. Comedy, silly comedy. I'm not... Too silly for that silly sausage. But we confronted him about that when we said you love Friends and that's very silly.

58:05Oh, we always confront him about it. Oh, he's nothing if not an oxymoron but he acknowledges that. Okay. Just leave out the oxy. Yeah. Steph? So, have you talked about this Michelle Keegan new ITV drama that she's going to be in? No, because it was breaking news this morning. Okay, so Michelle Keegan is confirmed for this ITV drama with unexpected twists. So it's going to be a six-part series called The Blame, where she plays D.I. Crane. I mean, I love Michelle. I think Michelle Keegan is such an incredible actress. Are we in agreement on that? Yes. Yeah? Yeah, I think she's a great actress. Okay.

58:40So she is leading the cast as D.I. Emma Crane, and she's going to be joined by Douglas Booth from The Dirt, who will take on the aforementioned character of D.I. Tom Radley. Oh, it sounds very exciting. Oh, my God. Yeah. Other people, oh, it's got Joe Armstrong in it, Nigel Ball from Line of Duty. Okay, based on the novel of the same name by Charlotte Langley. Sounds fantastic. That was live news digestion for me there. Live news, yes. I think. Sorry. You know, you'd only read the first bit, and then you got more excited as you went, Oh, you know, it is exciting. Well, I do love Michelle Keegan, so I'm very excited.

59:14I'm very keen on it. Okay, so I've got a bit of news, and it's involving Soho, a place where you used to work. Oh, we did. And Boyd, one of Boyd's favourite places. shut up listeners we've been trying to get this new story out I'm just going to draw the veil away and apparently it's fascinating because I love Soho apparently I'm the main lover of Soho anyway, yes, carry on so anyway, Stephen Fry will be narrating a documentary about Soho and its future apparently it's going to blend verite storytelling with unique access behind the doors of Soho's most celebrated establishments Oh, that's interesting.

59:51And the residents who call Soho their home. So, yeah. The future of Soho. Why is Soho's future in jeopardy? I think it's been really... High rents and a lot of the small boutique-y type shops. Excuse me, I've got my voice. The small boutique-y type shops are closed down. Pubs are closed down. Gay pubs are closed down. All around Covent Garden. Yeah, it's definitely... Wake up and smell the coffee, Steph. Oh, God, I know. It's not good if you're a Soho dentist. You living in your ivory tower in Luton. Exactly. It's a different world, Luton. I really, yeah, gosh, sorry. Luton near Guildford. This show that I'm about to discuss, I was kind of aware of it, but I hadn't fully sunk in as to who was responsible for this show that's coming up.

1:00:36Anyway, it's a show called Prodigies, and the news story that broke today is that John Malkovich, the great John Malkovich, has been added to the cast of this show, which is an Apple TV Plus rom-com. But the exciting thing about this show is It's created by and stars Will Sharp of, most recently, Too Much Fame and The White Lotus Season 2. And the main stars are him, himself, and Ayo Edebiri from the aforementioned The Bear. Yes. The standout, some might say. Yes, yes. Supporting star of The Bear. She's absolutely brilliant. Absolutely would say she's a standout. You know, she gets her own episodes, which are often the best episodes in the whole series sometimes, one might say.

1:01:12So the whole idea of Will Sharp and her together as the romantic leads in the show. and it talks about how the ex-child prodigies have been together since they were children now in their early 30s they're starting to question whether their very ordinary existence is living up to the extraordinary promise of their childhood that's interesting I mean what more could you want and Will Sharp is a very very very three verys talented writer and so on sounds fab yeah Kate any more no that's me done wow no just a no no that was extensive Soho news that she's brought to us yeah I mean we know that you don't know much because you'd forgotten and we do TV news.

1:01:47I forgot you did this segment. What about the fact that the Meghan show's back for second series and that Harry and Meghan have signed a new deal because people were... I saw... No, no, no. No. Hold on a minute. Hold on a minute. I'm doing this up deliberately, proactively. Okay. The Meghan show was always filmed. No, I know. Okay. So it was always going to be a second season. But the news is... So the second season date's going to be filmed. I think it's coming out in the end of August. Sorry, that was really vicious. That was like a vicious attack. Yeah, you were really... I know because I was just...

1:02:15Oh, see, he's going to, you know, sorry. But the news was that they've renewed, Netflix has renewed their contract with Harry and Meghan. That was the news that broke this week. Because a lot of people speculated that they might dump them, Netflix might dump them. Yeah, because they hadn't sold enough wine. Yeah, all of that. But in fact, they're fully on board with them, apparently, and giving them even more money to make even more shows than they already were working on. Well, if you believe a lot of what's written in the media, many people have said that the reason that they're signing they've re-signed megan is And just in case anything happens in Meghan's life that they think, you know, like if there's any kind of, you know, if they split up or there's anything, they want to keep them on side because obviously they're the gift that keeps giving with the extensive royal dramas.

1:03:04And a lot's been written about that, that she, she's, you know, you know, if anything happens, they'll be able to get it. You mean if they split up is what you're saying? Yeah, I just don't want to say it because it's too sad. I mean, it's fine. Things happen. I'm not saying they will, they won't, you know, who knows. but yeah that's a plausible explanation anyway the season 2 arrives on August 26th and it does involve it does include you'll be pleased to know doing crafts with Chrissy Teigen well you know I like crafts I mean yeah I think I think you like Chrissy Teigen Chrissy Teigen I love Chrissy Teigen obviously she's half-tie so I'm very happy with Chrissy Teigen or Teigen you are the Chrissy Teigen is it Teigen or Teigen it's actually Teigen is it you could have corrected me it would have been fine I wouldn't have needed to correct you because she actually I think it was last year put out a post with her mum saying to everyone you've all been calling me Tegan it's Tygen it's Chrissy Tygen and she gets her mum to pronounce it oh I don't feel that bad about it now Chrissy Tygen who famously married to John Legend who I also love and I also love Megan so you know for me that's a go it's all good it's official I don't like wine though so I won't be buying any of the affiliate wine no okay do you not drink at all I don't drink at all oh yeah I forgot about that I know like a total like you know Kay sometimes claims to be a non-drinker but I've been with her so many times where she's blind drunk.

1:04:20Oh, please. I know for a fact that that is not true. Boy, you would not be able to handle me if I was blind drunk. Oh, well, I mean, I'm sure that's true. But you haven't denied that you're blind drunk, though. No, I don't get blind drunk. I mean, whether I can handle you or not. I occasionally have a glass or two of champagne or Prosecco, and then that is me drunk because I'm such a lightweight. Anyway, people haven't tuned in for this, haven't they? No, before we move to one more thing in news I wanted to mention, which is that Wednesday, which you guys reviewed very eloquently in the Pilot Plus episode without me the other week is just as massive as season one.

1:04:55So season two, part one, they're divided into two seasons. 50 million views in five days it's got on the Netflix. Wow. Which makes it its biggest English language show of all time. Isn't that quite extraordinary? Because it's decent, you know, I like it, enjoy it and everything, but I am slightly taken aback, you know, that it's not Bridgerton, it's not Stranger Things, it's Wednesday. Yeah, but it's like the tween power, isn't it? The tween power is enormous. It's this K-pop demon hunters situation. I've watched it about 37 times in my household alone. So I can only imagine how many times it's been watched.

1:05:32That must be crazy high up there. And with Steph wrongly watching different seasons on Wednesday, she's probably amassing a lot of views. Yeah. And I say that as someone who also wrongly watches Steph. It's probably the biggest show of all time because Steph's watched it multiple times to make sure you're watching the right episode. Don't. The only, like, it has, it didn't have any multi-factor authentication bullshit. Listen to this. This is actually the sentence of the news story. This is brilliant for you. And overall, the second most watched English language TV title of the week was Wednesday season one.

1:06:01Thanks to renewed interest in the series slash people watching the wrong one. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. I'm with you people. I stand with you. Yeah. Brilliant. So yeah, Wednesday, fucking huge. Yeah. Pardon my grotesque language. Anyway, let's move on to reviews, Kay. Again, Kay giving me the eagle eye, saying, just move on. She is keeping everyone in order in a very elegant way. I know that I have to have a firm hand with Boyd. Yes, absolutely. Let's begin. Let us begin with The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox. As I mentioned in my intro, that's not me editorialising. That's the title of this show that's going out on Disney Plus this week, Wednesday of August 20th.

1:06:43It's a limited series inspired by the story of how Amanda Knox was wrongfully convicted for the tragic murder of a remote Meredith Kirchhoff. One of the most famous true crime stories, I would say, of the last however many years. It stars Grace Van Patten, John Huguenacker, Francesco Acquiroli, Giuseppe Domenico, Roberta Matai, and the reason I listed all those stars was to get to the surprise, shock guest star, Sharon Horgan. Yes. For FFS. Shall I go, as the queen of crime that you are, I feel I should turn to you, Steph, because you probably know every single ruddy detail of this case. I know a lot about this case.

1:07:25It is an incredibly famous case happening in Perugia in Italy. It is the murder of Meredith Kircher, who was a British exchange student. She was found murdered in the apartment that she was renting with several other girls, Amanda Knox being one of them. It, I mean, I don't even know how to start kind of with how horrifying the actual murder was. But this, she was found in her apartment, covered in a duvet, she had been murdered. And what happened in the actual life, it was that Amanda Knox and her boyfriend And Raphael Celestito were eventually arrested and tried and found guilty of her murder, along with a third person, Rudy Guede, who then did eventually serve 16 years for the crime.

1:08:26They served four years, Raphael and Amanda Knox, for a crime which essentially they did not commit. So they were exonerated? They were exonerated. They were exonerated. And Amanda went back to live in America. She's now married and she has a child. And much has been made of this as a real kind of example of trial by media. and she was vilified, absolutely vilified in the press almost from day one for being a young woman who enjoyed sex. She was very kind of ostentatious. You know, lots of images of her and she earned the monarch's, you know, foxy noxy. She was, they photographed her at the scene of the crime, if you like, kind of canoodling with her boyfriend of a week.

1:09:18Yes, eight days. She'd been with Raphael and, yeah, she was reported as doing cartwheels. And, you know, she was an incredibly famous sort of kind of iconic picture of that time when she was kissing her boyfriend outside the crime scene where there were investigators around. She has partnered, she's the executive producer on this and a creative partner. Pretty key point to make. This is her story, right? Right. This is her story and it's actually based on her book, Waiting to be Heard. So what she has said about the making of this is that she was not prepared to have another person tell her own story.

1:10:00Okay. And this, it's very, it's incredibly difficult to kind of see it from the point of view of Meredith Kirch's family, who have made a statement about it. And I am going to read that statement. Her sister has said, our family has been through so much and it is difficult to understand how this serves any purpose of the making of this. I think it's really important to understand that there is a victim here, a young woman who lost her life in a horrific way, who's Meredith Kircher. There is also another victim here and it is Amanda Knox. Amanda Knox was a victim of a gross miscarriage of justice here.

1:10:38and what she is attempting to do with her creative input in there is tell the story. What I would say is that this is not the first time that this story has been told and it's not the first time the story has been told by her. In 2016, there was a Netflix documentary, which is very much a talking heads documentary and she goes into great detail about everything that happened. And I feel like that was very, if you haven't watched that, I would say watch that. It is a great example of, you know, you've got all the people involved in the case and she is to camera talking incredibly emotionally about what she went through in that time.

1:11:20This, if I can go straight ahead to how I feel about it, this is not that. This feels very much, I watched two episodes because when I first started watching it, I was kind of appalled at the glamorisation and the, I don't know. It's very stylised. It's very stylised. Also, there's a lightness of tone, right, and a quirkiness to the storytelling that at first I found very jarring. Yes. Because I was like, so for example, you know, just stylistic choices like these postcards come to life and there's this lightness, as I say. And I found it jarring. And then actually in time what I began to realise is it's reflective of her personality which is quirky and eccentric and which is the whole part of this which she says that was used against her in fact there's this quote she said every quirk used to brand me a monster um so then i i understood it more but at first i found it like i was almost repelled by it because i thought that you know this is a really serious crime why have they chosen to do it like this even though she's chosen to do it but um yeah then i then i grew to understand it but i don't know for my part and i'm not a true crime lover as you know um I respect her right to tell her story and she's executive producer on this alongside Monica Lewinsky, who is obviously a trial by media as well.

1:12:38So there's an agenda there and I understand that. However, I think she's done this Netflix documentary. She's written books. She's been part of podcasts, et cetera, et cetera. So it's not like her story has never been told from her perspective. And so I just can't imagine how horrifying this must be for Meredith Kirch's family. I completely agree. Because, you know, I mean, the performances are great. They are great, like Grace, Van Patten and Sharon Hawke. Everyone involved, but is this necessary? I think one of the things I would say is I think this is an incredibly odd choice for Sharon Hawken.

1:13:08She plays Amanda's mother. And I was, I literally wrote down Sharon Hawken WTF. I cannot understand why she's involved herself in this project. Because it is, I cannot, could not agree with you more. And, you know, let's just come back in. I am in the business of, you know, crime for a level of like, I am the editor of a crime magazine. I write a lot about crime stories. This is so finessed. And, you know, people who don't know this story, people who don't know that this is a crime, it's so much, it's such a sensationalised, stylised way of telling someone's story. And this sounds, I don't buy her.

1:13:50I wasn't having any, I don't think it does anything for her image to say, well, I wasn't having anyone else tell my story. Well, no, you've already told your story. You know, now this is glossy. This is super glossy. What do you think? And I... It didn't sit well with me. Yeah, I'm conflicted about it, to be honest. So, first of all, with Sharon Horgan, I presume she was just offered a role, and she thought, this is an interesting story, and probably everyone knows the story, and everyone knows that part of the story, at least, is a miscarriage of justice. And, you know, I think, you know, it doesn't take much to think Amanda Knox deserves a lot of sympathy for having gone through an excruciating...

1:14:35For me, I think in many ways, there's nothing, apart from actually, you know, being murdered, in terms of things happening to you, a miscarriage of justice on this scale is absolutely appalling. And so I can kind of sympathise with her as to why she's felt the need to be able to tell the story in whatever way she wants across multiple, as you've alluded to, you know, media. And so, but, so that's, I think, why I think from Sharon Horgan's point of view or anyone else who's cast in the show. And I love Sharon Horgan, I would just say. Anyone, all the actors probably thought, this is, you know, this is a really interesting story.

1:15:08I want to be part of this thing that is talking about how exonerating this poor woman from what she's been into. The disclaimer is extraordinary. I'm going to get to, I'm going to read the disclaimer because it's quite long, but it is fascinating. This is this game at the end of each episode, this pops up. While this story is inspired by actual events, certain characters, characterizations, incidents, locations, and dialogue were fictionalized or imagined for the purpose of dramatization, including certain characters which were composited and or fictionalized for that same purpose. With respect, any such fictionalization or imagination, any similarity to the name or to the actual character or history of any person living or dead, or any product or entity or actual incident, is entirely for dramatic purpose.

1:15:52Basically... How do they fit that on one screen? Oh my God, it's incredible. The series includes... It ends with... The series includes Amanda Knox's perspective on events related to the murder marriage of Kirk. Yeah, we know. I'm conflicted because I think that there was another way of making this show that you wouldn't have had to even think about the morality of the execution of the show. What you're talking about, the tone of it, which is borderline comedic, at least in the first episode. Yes. And it is, by the way, beautifully shot, like incredibly elaborately directed. It's very, as I said, it's very heavily stylized, all of that.

1:16:33There was a way of telling the story very straight-laced, like a vanilla version of this show, right? Yeah. And that's what, and from the title onwards, so the twisted tale, right? It sets you up for what the program makes. and I'm not sure, remember this is, you know, produced and directed by people who worked on this kind of show and worked on American dramas before. They've turned, in answer to the question of Meredith Kirch's family asking that kind of rhetorical question about, you know, what does this add to anything? Well, I'll tell you what it does add. It's entertainment. But that's the, yes.

1:17:07Now, I'm not, our moral judgment of that is neither here nor there, or we will be in a minute when I explain my version of events. but it's certainly, it's absolutely pitched as an entertaining way of telling this story. And I do think, not so much Amanda Knox, but I think everyone involved in the making of this show has to now almost own it and go, well, some people are going to be repelled by it, I think, the way it's done. Do you know what? I think I would have preferred a vanilla version event. Because I think, you know, sometimes like when we talked about the Count of Monte Cristo, for example, I know it sounds weird that I'm comparing those, but you know where you were like, I need it to do something more, I need it to ramp it up a bit or reinvent it somehow or bring something extra.

1:17:52With something like this, I just want it plainly told. But again, this is not the first time that this has had a kind of feature film. Like Hayden Panettiere famously, a few years later, a few years after the murder, she starred as Amanda Knox in a film of this. This is not the first time it's had this treatment. It's the way it's being told. Yeah, it's completely off for me. If this had been done, I don't think a British dramatisation of this show would ever have gone down this route. Do you know what I mean? I think there's been so many very sober, you know, like all of the true crime shows that you get, the true crime dramas I'm talking about, the dramatisations that have been done, whether it's White House Farm just off the top of my head.

1:18:33Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, there's a whole, every other week there's a new one, you know, often ITV, Nine, But those are always told with a real kind of almost earnest devotion to trying to be objective and to not sensationalize. Yeah, it doesn't... This is... Sensitivity has gone from this. Everyone involved in this show seems to have gone, screw that, we're going to have fun with this. Let's go big and bold, yeah. And that is a decision. And what's interesting is, I think like, I almost think, you know, Amanda Knox herself has had to judge, you know, the way she's been treated by people and quite right too.

1:19:07But I do feel like some of the moral, some of, not all of, but some of the moral power of her story is reduced by the way the show has been made. She actually has written the finale, I think, co-written the finale. But, you know, it's written and we could talk about this for hours. But I just think it's such a bold decision to film it the way they filmed it. She says... I was taking a bad bite. She says at one point she was, you know, when they kind of had the court scene, she found it really, really difficult. I think my main point about this, okay, is she's saying, I want to tell my story. I don't want somebody else to tell my story.

1:19:46I feel the story has been told in many different ways and many different ways by her. And I feel that I don't... I disagree with you because I think that's fine. I think she has the right to do it. But it's this particular way that this story has been told in this drama that I find quite shocking. and should we say the very least, a daring, bolder, possibly misguided choice. Yes, because my issue with it is because she is the creative partner. So she has had that input. And I can't imagine, like this is the worst thing that's ever happened to her. But if this was, as we talked about, sorry, just one more question for you.

1:20:23If this was done in a sober, as I was alluding to, like a kind of British TV drama type way, like a sober telling of the story, no flashy photography, no animated postcards and all of that stuff yeah it's totally a stylistic problem so that's what I'm saying to you you keep saying that I'm not you know criticizing you but you bring up if this has been yet another thing a drama co-produced by her with her input but done in a sober way you wouldn't have had as much of a problem with it maybe I wouldn't have had as much of a problem but I still think I think the fact that she did the Netflix documentary I don't I haven't seen the Netflix documentary the Netflix documentary is absolutely fantastic and it's exactly what you'd want you've you've seen it haven't you rip so you know i haven't oh you haven't seen it well i mean is if you haven't seen it then i think a lot of people haven't seen it and and so it's valid for her to tell a story in this dramatic way which is possibly we'll probably get more viewers than the documentary because this is a big bold you know hulu slash disney plus production i'd be very interested to see how this is received because me as a manager for crime magazine i really didn't like it and i watched obviously a shitload of these kinds of things but not actually actually that's the point i don't watch a shitload of these kinds of things because this feels like a very kind of different way to do it and I didn't like it, it didn't sit well with me I think I agree wholeheartedly with everything Kay said.

1:21:41Okay I have mixed feelings, it's really interesting and complicated though, let's just say the way they've done it is extraordinary and bold and I think people will be fascinated by it and I think I almost, I watched the first two episodes as well and I feel like the second episode is less. The second episode is much better it does tone it down but it's still A lot. It may be this is the way to draw people in, to make it this kind of entertaining or whatever. Yeah. Anyway, it's complicated, that's for sure. It is complicated. And we have complicated views on it. You've decided for yourself, The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox is on Disney Plus from Wednesday, August 20th, 2025.

1:22:17And we move on, Kay. Yes. To Mudtown. Not Mudlark. No. Or Mudland. We've had various iterations, haven't we, while we're discussing this. It's Mudtown. This is a new six-part legal drama starring Erin Richards as Magistrate Claire Lewis-Jones, who faces personal turmoil while presiding over cases in Newport, Wales. Kay, what do you make of Mudtown? You had to think then, didn't you? I did have to think then. I really enjoy this. I thought this was a good, solid drama. Erin Richard stars as Claire who is a part-time magistrate slash warehouse worker she's a mum of two and her life gets very complicated when her past comes back to haunt her so she's presiding over this case the episode starts off with an arsonist setting fire to a warehouse as kids are raving and then Claire presides over that case and she has connections to it so she is compromised and it becomes even more complicated when a person from her past, namely a man called Peter, played by Tom Cullen, who's very brooding, and encounters her in a toilet looking like the milk tray man, I'd say.

1:23:35Oh, God, yeah. Not just any toilet. The toilet at the magistrate's court, by the way. Yes, sorry. Just a random. Yeah, not just a random toilet in the court. And he asks a favour of her. And we immediately get the sense that she owes him for something. So they've got a connection. There's a mysterious past between them that we've yet to explore, but it's very compelling. On top of that, she's got issues at home. Her daughter is playing up. She's in with a bad crowd. Oh, her daughter's so annoying. Daughter is annoying, but probably quite reflective of teenagers. And, yeah, so basically the combination of this current case, this arson case, her daughter kicking off, plus Peter, the criminal boss, who she has connections and links to.

1:24:18Who's known as St. Pete, by the way. That's his dodgy criminal name. Yeah. And so it means that both her old world, her new life, they're all colliding, and it's definitely going to be catastrophic. But I found this to be very compelling, mainly because of her. I think Erin Richards, there's such a warmth to her performance, but also this character is funny as well, which makes it, yeah, she's very appealing and compelling to watch. And this whole chemistry with her and Peter, I'm very, I'm engaged with it. Yeah, her character is so well fleshed out. She's absolutely brilliant. I cannot believe, and I have to say, generally, I love the Welsh.

1:25:01These people... They'll be thrilled. Yeah, but do you know what? They, this also, this is in Welsh. You can get this in Welsh and they filmed it back to back. That's the thing that... How hardworking is that? Well, they started doing that a few years ago with BBC. Keeping Faith, was it? Yeah, Keeping Faith, exactly. Yeah, Keeping Faith, rather. Yeah, it was done. And it's now a tradition. A lot of BBC and S4C productions of Welsh dramas are filmed in English and Welsh. Bring it on. I'm very impressed. Very, very impressed. Yeah, and very impressed with Erin Richards. Her hair is sensational, can I just say.

1:25:31Now, as an aside, isn't her haircut great? It's amazing. But yeah, she completely dominates every scene she's in. I think she's... We should also say Matthew Gravel is in this. Oh, yeah. And he is great as Alan. He's got this shifty vibe. so obviously something's going on we don't know what's going on with him is that her husband? yeah I think he's in debt I feel like he's in debt there's something something going on yeah he slept to shifty he can't use a credit she can't use the credit card because he's done something what do you think Boydo? I enjoyed it yeah I did enjoy it I think she is brilliant I'm a big fan of Tom Cullen anyway who's fantastic most of the year in the gold yeah he's brilliant and he he kind of pops up they save him to right I would say like the last 15 minutes you see him earlier on sorry You do glimpse him earlier on Dealing with showing that he's this godgy guy He's involved, yeah He's somehow connected to the arson case But actually you hear him speaking The meeting in the toilet The famous toilet in the magistrate's court Is really well done and really effective And he's a brooding, scary presence Yes, he's very hunky But he's quietly spoken He was very good in The Weeknd Yeah, he's delightful He is brilliant And can I just say though God, do you know Kimberley Nixon in this Who plays the mother of one of the boys who I love from Fresh Meat.

1:26:45Do you remember her from Fresh Meat? I was like, she's not old enough to be that boy's mum. Fresh Meat's a long time ago. Yeah, and then I realised, oh no, she's actually 40 in real life, so she is old enough. Well, I have to say, so I enjoyed it a lot. I think it was well done. I think the script was clever. There were lots of funny little banter-y asides between her and her fellow magistrates and stuff like that, which in other hands could be cheesy and, you know. I'll tell you why. So, yeah, sorry, it's witty dialogue. Sorry to interrupt. I wanted to say it's actually co-written by Hannah Daniel and Georgia Lee, who's actually a part-time magistrate.

1:27:18Oh, there you go. So I think she used her experience. Yeah, it rang through, and I thought the banter was well done. It didn't feel like, it was quite funny. Yeah, like when she says, let's have a cup of tea and a jammy dodger, you get away with it. Yeah, just about. But for me, where it turned was the storyline involving Kimberly Nixon's son is really, really shocking and powerful. And I thought that actually, amidst all the kind of, and it almost is because it is established quite an authentic realistic kind of tone to it unlike the I mean the contrast between the Amanda Knox show and this couldn't be great this is literally filmed almost you barely even notice the direction you know you just kind of enjoy enjoy the characters and the story let it play out Amanda Knox is all over a dazzling before your eyes like thing over the top thing this is very much not over the top and so and that pays off I think emotionally I totally agree with what happens in it it's quite powerful yeah no I thought with the Amanda Knox is just the vibe of the circus has come to town.

1:28:15That's very true. Anyway, Mudtown is a You and Alibi show. Yeah. And it starts, you can watch it live on You and Alibi from Wednesday, the 20th of August, 9pm, 2025. Or, of course, you can stream on Sky, Virgin Media and Now and all six episodes will be available on that day. I'm going to continue watching it. Well, and why not? Okay. Finally, in terms of reviews, we have got Peacemaker this is the show this is the DC Universe show that is written and created by James Gunn the actual film director whose most recent film is Superman also in the DC Universe so he's a massively powerful now Hollywood figure who controls all of the DC Universe films Superman, Batman etc.

1:29:02He controls the DC Universe he literally controls the DC Universe but he found time to make series 2 of this TV show Peacemaker what a gent which is about effectively a superhero with no superpowers but you know we'll get into that Steph it's going to have to be you it took you it took you a long time to crack open the mystery of how to watch this show was it worth it right okay I'm just going to say when you get to kind of 24 minutes in and there is a cocaine induced orgy yes I was like what is happening and I looked around to see who else was watching my screen at work because it's it goes on for so long yeah it's like when i say orgy it's like such a big orgy yeah it's i mean huge orgy it's very graphic it's very graphic big um genitals yeah big genitals big everything the bag of cocaine which was labeled ready in case of emergency or something like that you know it's it's crazy but john senna who plays the central role who plays a peacemaker and his um and his his his what's it what is it what bird is it that he's got that is like an eagle it's an eagle it's literally called eagly i think is it called yeah he's very nice i do yeah he's he lives in this strange place which just looks like a skyscraper build it's very odd the whole thing but it is very filmic i like it i love john senna as a main character i find him very watchable and very amusing um i found a lot of it very baffling as they switch this is season two this is season two so we you haven't I'm guessing neither of you have seen season one we've thrown you into season two no but I do love superhero stuff he is you know sympathetic as a sort of sad superhero so I enjoyed that but yeah I did find it quite there was the gear shifts were quite extreme and I found that a bit baffling but maybe that's because I haven't watched season one so I didn't I wasn't as invested in the characters.

1:31:04But I'm very invested in John Senna and I found it very enjoyable and humorous. This is a multiverse thing we should say. So I think what happens in series one he kind of saves the world somehow anyway despite not having superpowers but because he's a big muscly ex-wrestler I mean obviously the actor not necessarily the character but he's a big dude who's somehow kind of helped save the world and this is like a different he enters a different universe a different version of what happened so almost this is a whole different version of what happened in season one. Okay so the genesis of this is Suicide Squad, is it?

1:31:35Yeah, and in fact, your favourite actor, who we discussed... Nathan Fillion is in it, yeah, which I enjoyed. As Green Lantern, who is in the Superman film. So this is all connected, it's all interconnected, it's all kind of part of, taking place in a multiverse, et cetera, but it's all, but it's kind of like a TV version of... It's very Deadpool in tone, isn't it? It's very Deadpool. It is as well. Which I love. And it's also, it reminded me, Kay, I think we reviewed together The Boys. Remember The Boys, which was the superhero the satirical superhero show on Prime Video rings a bell did you know maybe you weren't there maybe we didn't review it with you but certainly that's a show that James and I both really like that's the satirical thing where the superheroes are kind of nasty horrible twats a lot of them and it's up to the PRs who work with them to kind of make sure their outer image is portrayed so it's kind of satire on news and image and image and fakeness fake news and all of that and the superhero genre as a whole the boys what's interesting is the boys has orgy scenes as well why is there why so many orgies and it's almost like for me I'll find out what you think in a minute Kate but for me as extraordinary as that orgy scene was and by the way I had to kind of like why is this suddenly happening in the middle of the show I almost had to rewind did I miss something an explanation yeah it's because he got a little bit upset didn't he yeah he got a little upset and suddenly this orgy takes place he almost doesn't doesn't know it's going to happen and I'm still baffled I'm still baffled it was because he felt a bit rejected.

1:33:03Right. Then he went home to kind of like, you know, make himself feel better. Yes. By inviting lots of naked people to have sex in front of him slash with him. I couldn't quite understand whether if that was sort of him hallucinating or not. No, I think it was actually taking me out. I don't think it was hallucinating. I don't think you're supposed to think it was hallucinating. Anyway, that scene and various, and tonally, this show is incredibly similar to the boys. Right. And I almost felt like, obviously, I'm not saying James Gunn did this, you know, consciously, but it did feel like it was kind of almost trying to outdo because The Boys has outrageous sexual activity throughout each series so far.

1:33:44It had some amazing moments during its own orgies, et cetera. And I launched this, I got to that scene, I thought, oh my God, he's literally like going, well, whatever The Boys can do, we can do better. But I don't think that's just my, that's just how it came across to me. But I'm sure it's accidental. I'm sure he may not even watch The Boys, I don't know. So it felt a bit like an incompletion with that show. But when it calmed down, I think the scene where he got interviewed by including Green Lantern was really funny. Yeah. Now, I knew that the broken mic joke... It went on too long. It went on too long.

1:34:14They made the joke and then they just... You knew what the joke was, right? But I still thought it was well done and quite funny. And they had moments like that that I found amusing. But it just feels, for me, as a consumer of it, very, very similar to The Boys. Kay, what did you think? So I haven't got a lot to say because I haven't seen series one. That's why I just stepped in and droned on for hours. No, I appreciate that. So I wasn't overly invested with these characters. I think my takeaway thing was I thought it would have been funnier. I didn't find it that funny. Like that joke that you alluded to, I could see it coming and then they just went on and on and it kept on going.

1:34:51So I just didn't think it was very well written or funny. She's, well, I mean, she has missed her words, Steph. yeah how did you find it entertaining well I think if you like John Senna it's the John Senna show isn't it he does spend half the first episode of wandering around his pants yeah I mean I enjoy John Senna and I think he's nice and I think he's nice I think he's nice no I like him as an actor and I think I read that this show was born out of the fact that they that Mr. Gunn let's call him Mr. Gunn James Gunn recognised that John Senna was a great dramatic actor and that's why he's got this role.

1:35:29Yeah, I agree. He carries the whole thing. His charm and he's got kind of doofus quality to him. He's trying to work out what's going on and he isn't quite getting it. I think it totally rests on him being that good in this role and he is the best thing about it. But I think I agree with Kay that in the end I love Superman. I love James Gunn's Superman which is still in cinemas everywhere by the way if you want to watch it, check it out. But it's got James Gunn's sense of humour, remember we did Guardians of the Galaxy. Yeah. He's got this... He's got that sensibility to it. He's got this sensibility that's very comedic.

1:36:06Yeah. Everything he does, pretty much, you know, including all his DC stuff, has a wry comedic sensibility to it. And I think that works very well in Superman. Funny. I mean, me and James disagree about this massively. James hated Superman. Okay. Absolutely hated it. Let's not dwell. I believe he likes Peacemaker. Oh. So, whereas I'm the opposite. way i really like superman i'm not so keen on peacemaker i it's not funny enough or witty enough for me and there's not enough in the storyline key for me is a key is a tv show of an eight part however many episodes to keep you watching i just don't think there's enough dramatic tension going on in the story to to to to to embroil you so again going back to the i'm sorry one more time going back to the comparison with the boys actually the boys has more for me narrative drive than this show, weirdly.

1:36:53So yeah, I think at incredible moments, if you want to see an orgy scene, one of the most extraordinary orgy scenes since The Boys, then by all means, dip it off. Although, unlike Steph, not suitable for work. Definitely not. Definitely do not watch in public. No, do you know what? I counted like seven penises. It's a lot. I'm glad someone was counting. And like a lot of simulated, like a lot. It's a lot. It's a lot. Peacemaker then, arrives on Sky Max. and now on Friday the 22nd of August 2025. Decide for yourself what you think of the orgy, etc. It's almost a wrap. This is the point at which I loudly, using a copy of Heat magazine, go through what we've missed or we couldn't review due to embargoes.

1:37:39And this week, I mean, Hostage is the big show. It arrives on Thursday the 21st of August on Netflix and this is the show with Saran Jones and Julie Delpy as the leaders of Great Britain and France, respectively, who get embroiled in a big hostage situation. It is heavily embargoed. Right. But we will be reviewing it in next week's Pilot Plus stuff. Wow. Which I think James is still away for. I think it's going to be another week of joy. Oh, my God. So there's that. Yeah, I know. That's the biggest show. Then you've got One Night, which started on Saturday on ITV. This has been shown before on Paramount Plus, I think.

1:38:13This is the one with Jodie Whittaker in Australia. Yes, we've reviewed it. We did review it. Invasion, season three, comes to Apple TV Plus on Friday the 22nd of August, 2025. That was heavily embargoed as well. So you may not get to review that because, you know, I don't know why that embargo is very late in the day until the day it comes out. The Broken Wood Mysteries, 11th series, arrives on You and Drama on Monday at 8 o 'clock. This is surprising. You remember the 007, Road to a Million, which was the reality competition spin-off of the James Bond films on Prime Video. He's back for a second series the first series was terrible but apparently they've revamped it there's been improvements heavily improved tweaks to the to the format more Cox so to speak what sorry Brian Cox Brian back in the orgy get your minds out the gutters Brian Cox is back as the kind of the overseer who interacts but there will be more of him apparently yes indeed there will be more of him as we've mentioned in Heat magazine and then there's a new Miriam Margulis show called discovers New Zealand on BBC Front Friday, but I probably wouldn't have mentioned that if I hadn't the fact that I hadn't suddenly caught my eye while I was leafing through a heat magazine.

1:39:24Ladies and me, gentlemen, what is our pick of the week? Mine is Mudtown. Steph? Mine is also Mudtown, but I would love to know what people think about The Twisted Tale of a Man to Knox. I really am interested to see how that's received. Mine's Mudtown as well, but it is The Twisted Tale of a Man to Knox. It's one of the most extraordinary and intriguing and fascinating shows we've seen in a long time, which is why we ended up banging on about it in a slightly incorrect way for about 50 minutes. Yes, sorry, Kay, but I could do a whole three hours on talking just about that. We won't, don't worry.

1:39:55Oh, I mean, please God, we won't, yeah. We'll be back next week when among the shows that will hopefully, depending on embargoes, we often say this, but we think Atomic with Alfie Allen is around, the aforementioned King and Conqueror. Oh, yes, which you enjoyed very much. No, I haven't said that. Oh, don't get him in trouble. Oh, sorry, no. No, the historical drama, but we don't know how it ends. I watched it, and I'm hosting the thing, but the value judgment has not emerged from my list. Apologia, apologia. Please apologise, yes. Dating Naked UK is back, and we did review the first series, etc.

1:40:32Listen in to find out what the hell we end up reviewing. Thank you very much. Pilot out.

1:40:45you

From the publisher

The excellent Alex Lawther is our guest this week. You’ll know him from The End Of The F****ing World among other fine shows, and now he is one of the shining lights in the ensemble cast of Alien: Earth. Lazy James is still away so Boyd and Kay are joined by Crime Queen Steph, and it just so happens there’s a lot of crime shows for us to discuss, including Disney+’s controversial Amanda Knox drama, Mudtown on U&Alibi, not to be confused with Mudbath, and Peacemaker which features an orgy of course.

(Episode 350 — yes, the REAL Episode 350)

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Peacemaker, The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox, and Mudtown. With guest Alex LawtherPilot TV · 1 h 41 min
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